Flashback, chapter 2
I opened my eyelids halfway than closed them again. I'm not dead. I put my hand to my chest. Why am I in a scrub? I went to say something, but than I started choking. I leaned over and spit up red liquid on my scrub. Blood. I felt a cool hand on my forehead. I closed my eyes, trying to remember what happened. Nothing came to my mind. Someone came in and put a stethoscope on my chest.
"Sweetheart, can you hear me?" a man's voice asked.
"I'm not deaf," I murmured. I opened my eyes. There was a doctor with kind of long blonde hair, hazel eyes, and a few whiskers above his upper lip. His nametag read Dr. Cox. "You're cute, Dr. Cox." He smiled and someone squuezed my arm. I turned over and saw my sister Katherine. Her light brown hair hung in front over her face and her eyes were puffed and red. Dr. Cox sat down in a chair.
"Perri, do you remember anything that happened before your blackout?" he asked.
"Um, I think I was supposed to be going to my counselor's office, but-"
Katherine interrupted me.
"She had been complaining of being tired and had been drinking a lot, but I-we didn't think anything of it," she said, shame in her voice. He nodded and scribbled on his clipboard.
I sat up straight. "It's raining."
"Yup," he answered, looking up at me. The doctor smiled. You smile too much for someone who gives bad news.
"Something will happen." He nodded. "Something's wrong. Something that's not supposed to." Katherine put her hand over my mouth and apologized for my 'nonsense'.
"Nah, it's alright." He looked at Katherine and grinned. "I've had people say crazy stuff that you'd never imagine." Once he left, a short man wearing black came into the room, hands in his pockets. Katherine looked away from him. The guy put his hand on her shoulder, but she shrugged it off and made a face at him.
"Katherine, who's that?" I asked, keeping my finger on the emergency button, you know, just in case. She just stroked my forehead with her thumb. "Why....Why are you touching my forehead?"
"Everything is going to be alright. Everything's going to be fine. Just lay back down." I obeyed her, my eyes not leaving him.
"Can I talk to you," the man murmured.
She thought about it, her thumb still tracing the worry wrinkle on my forehead. She stood up silently and walked out of the room. I knew they weren't making an effort to whisper; I could hear them.
"She's calling you by your first name?" the man asked. What else would I call her?
"Shuttup. Why are you here?"
"Your mother called me."
"God dammit," she huffed.
"Now would you mind telling me why she's calling you by your first name?"
She sighed. Her voice choked up. "She thinks- she thinks I'm her sister."
"Oh," he murmured. What?
"Why did you come back?"
"She's my daughter. I need to see her. Especially if she ends up in the hospital. I can get custody of her."
"You never even wanted custody of her. You said that when she was three. That was the last time you ever wanted to see her."
"That was the last time you let me see her," he replied.
"It's not like you ever made an effort to try and see her," Katherine/Mom snapped.
"Let's think back to what you said: 'I'm never letting you see her again. She's my daughter and only mine'. Remember that, Kitty?" Kitty. What a whore-like name.
"Go tell her than, if you're so concerned about her," she said softly. I turned to the window and heard footsteps.
"Hey," he said.
"What do you want, little man?" I asked harshly.
"I have something important to tell you," he whispered.
"I don't care," I said smugly.
"Why don't you care?"
"I don't know. Like I don't know if I'm living out a lie or not." Awkward silence. I rolled over. "What do you want?"
"I wanna talk to you."
"What if I don't wanna talk to you?" I sat up straight and looked at him. Into green eyes. That looked familiar. Very familiar.
Like mine.
I burst into tears. He put his arms around me and ran his hands over my back, up and down. Up and down.
"Sh, shh, shhhh. It's ok, shhhh." My tears soaked his shoulder. "You heard, didn't you?"
"Why else would I be crying?" I sobbed.
"I'm sorry," he said. "I'm so sorry. I didn't want it to be like this." He stroked my hair. The door squeaked open. I didn't look up. I kept crying.
"Um, excuse me." Katherine. She walked over to us and pushed him away. "Sweetheart, is there anything you want to tell me?" Her eyes looked desperate.
I tilted my head to the side and gave a little laugh. "You're a stupid slut."
Her eyes went from desperation to shock. She took in the words. Now her eyes were filled with rage. "What did you say?"
"What did you hear?"
"I'm not going to repeat it," she told me.
"We'll never know, than."
She opened and closed her mouth, trying to think of something to say. Obviously, nothing came to mind. Finally, she said, "Do you think you're some kind of wiseass?"
I shrugged. "Perhaps." Her eyes studied me. Brown on green. My eyes darted to the man that was my father, even though I still didn't know his name. He was sitting back in his chair. His eyes were tired. I turned away from Katherine's cold stare and asked him, "What's your name?"
"Billie Joe."
"I'm Perri. Julia."
"I know." He smiled.
"Hey!" Katherine said, putting her hands up. "This is about me and my daughter. You don't need to be here. You're not even supposed to be here. It'll confuse her."
"Um, hello? I'm right here. I can here every word you're saying. Don't talk to me like I'm stupid. You've already confused me enough about parents. I don't even like you that much."
She looked shocked. Her filled up with tears and she said, "You have her."
"Sweetheart, can you hear me?" a man's voice asked.
"I'm not deaf," I murmured. I opened my eyes. There was a doctor with kind of long blonde hair, hazel eyes, and a few whiskers above his upper lip. His nametag read Dr. Cox. "You're cute, Dr. Cox." He smiled and someone squuezed my arm. I turned over and saw my sister Katherine. Her light brown hair hung in front over her face and her eyes were puffed and red. Dr. Cox sat down in a chair.
"Perri, do you remember anything that happened before your blackout?" he asked.
"Um, I think I was supposed to be going to my counselor's office, but-"
Katherine interrupted me.
"She had been complaining of being tired and had been drinking a lot, but I-we didn't think anything of it," she said, shame in her voice. He nodded and scribbled on his clipboard.
I sat up straight. "It's raining."
"Yup," he answered, looking up at me. The doctor smiled. You smile too much for someone who gives bad news.
"Something will happen." He nodded. "Something's wrong. Something that's not supposed to." Katherine put her hand over my mouth and apologized for my 'nonsense'.
"Nah, it's alright." He looked at Katherine and grinned. "I've had people say crazy stuff that you'd never imagine." Once he left, a short man wearing black came into the room, hands in his pockets. Katherine looked away from him. The guy put his hand on her shoulder, but she shrugged it off and made a face at him.
"Katherine, who's that?" I asked, keeping my finger on the emergency button, you know, just in case. She just stroked my forehead with her thumb. "Why....Why are you touching my forehead?"
"Everything is going to be alright. Everything's going to be fine. Just lay back down." I obeyed her, my eyes not leaving him.
"Can I talk to you," the man murmured.
She thought about it, her thumb still tracing the worry wrinkle on my forehead. She stood up silently and walked out of the room. I knew they weren't making an effort to whisper; I could hear them.
"She's calling you by your first name?" the man asked. What else would I call her?
"Shuttup. Why are you here?"
"Your mother called me."
"God dammit," she huffed.
"Now would you mind telling me why she's calling you by your first name?"
She sighed. Her voice choked up. "She thinks- she thinks I'm her sister."
"Oh," he murmured. What?
"Why did you come back?"
"She's my daughter. I need to see her. Especially if she ends up in the hospital. I can get custody of her."
"You never even wanted custody of her. You said that when she was three. That was the last time you ever wanted to see her."
"That was the last time you let me see her," he replied.
"It's not like you ever made an effort to try and see her," Katherine/Mom snapped.
"Let's think back to what you said: 'I'm never letting you see her again. She's my daughter and only mine'. Remember that, Kitty?" Kitty. What a whore-like name.
"Go tell her than, if you're so concerned about her," she said softly. I turned to the window and heard footsteps.
"Hey," he said.
"What do you want, little man?" I asked harshly.
"I have something important to tell you," he whispered.
"I don't care," I said smugly.
"Why don't you care?"
"I don't know. Like I don't know if I'm living out a lie or not." Awkward silence. I rolled over. "What do you want?"
"I wanna talk to you."
"What if I don't wanna talk to you?" I sat up straight and looked at him. Into green eyes. That looked familiar. Very familiar.
Like mine.
I burst into tears. He put his arms around me and ran his hands over my back, up and down. Up and down.
"Sh, shh, shhhh. It's ok, shhhh." My tears soaked his shoulder. "You heard, didn't you?"
"Why else would I be crying?" I sobbed.
"I'm sorry," he said. "I'm so sorry. I didn't want it to be like this." He stroked my hair. The door squeaked open. I didn't look up. I kept crying.
"Um, excuse me." Katherine. She walked over to us and pushed him away. "Sweetheart, is there anything you want to tell me?" Her eyes looked desperate.
I tilted my head to the side and gave a little laugh. "You're a stupid slut."
Her eyes went from desperation to shock. She took in the words. Now her eyes were filled with rage. "What did you say?"
"What did you hear?"
"I'm not going to repeat it," she told me.
"We'll never know, than."
She opened and closed her mouth, trying to think of something to say. Obviously, nothing came to mind. Finally, she said, "Do you think you're some kind of wiseass?"
I shrugged. "Perhaps." Her eyes studied me. Brown on green. My eyes darted to the man that was my father, even though I still didn't know his name. He was sitting back in his chair. His eyes were tired. I turned away from Katherine's cold stare and asked him, "What's your name?"
"Billie Joe."
"I'm Perri. Julia."
"I know." He smiled.
"Hey!" Katherine said, putting her hands up. "This is about me and my daughter. You don't need to be here. You're not even supposed to be here. It'll confuse her."
"Um, hello? I'm right here. I can here every word you're saying. Don't talk to me like I'm stupid. You've already confused me enough about parents. I don't even like you that much."
She looked shocked. Her filled up with tears and she said, "You have her."
